Maddux Sports Blog

Wow. Just wow. What a day of basketball. What a weekend of basketball. Friday was just okay, but the other three days were all but perfect.

I have to start with Cornell. I have had several hours to think about what I saw in that game, and I’m still not sure that I believe it. Cornell was up against a Wisconsin team that was among the most efficient in the country with and without the ball. They don’t mess up often, they score when they have the ball, and they perform very well on defense. Cornell never freaking trailed in the game! They jumped out of the gate like they knew they were going to win, and by halftime they had made a mockery of the thing. There have been many, many impressive performances this weekend, but there wasn’t one better than that. Cornell just knew that they were going to win, and it really wasn’t in doubt. Truly awe inspiring. If that team can carry that game on to next weekend then there is no limit to what they can do. Unfortunately, their next matchup is as bad as it can be. The two teams they have beaten have been thrown onto their heels early and never recovered. Kentucky is dramatically more skilled and explosive than either of those teams, though, so it should be much harder for Cornell to impose their will and stay on top. I have Kentucky in the finals in my bracket, and I still feel pretty good about that, but my heart will be cheering for the Big Red. How can you not love what they are doing?

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1. Suck on that, Blake Griffin.

2. Roy Williams proved yet again how incredibly good he is. He and his staff had the Tar Heels as prepared as they possibly could have been for the Oklahoma game. The first half was as brilliant a defensive performance against a formidable foe as I have ever seen. I have been down on North Carolina for a while now, but that showing made it harder for me to stick with my opinion – especially now that they have a week to get ready for the Wildcats.

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With the exception of the Michigan State win over Kansas that was one incredibly boring night of basketball. Sadly, neither of the early games were even remotely interesting. I had high hopes for Syracuse, and I thought Arizona was feisty enough to at least make it interesting, but they both fired blanks. The biggest conclusion out of those games is that I feel very confident in my pick of Louisville to win it all. It’s not just that they can score like they can, or that they play such good defense, or that their style of play is so unconventional that it gives other teams major headaches. It’s that they are so freaking deep – they are better five deep on the bench than most teams are two deep. Very impressive.

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1. Watching Purdue lose today was pretty decisive. I saw them play several times this year, and this game was pretty indicative of their season – they can be very good, but they can’t sustain it. Robbie Hummel’s night is a microcosm of their issues – Hummel had 15 points in the first seven minutes or so, and would up with 17 on the night in 35 minutes of action. That’s not to take anything away from UConn , mind you. They have all sorts of distractions and excuses to put in a less-than-perfect effort, yet they played pretty fine today. I still don’t think they have what it takes to win it all, but they looked nothing but business like and impressive tonight.

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We are going to take a break from college basketball for the next couple of days, but before we do I want to look ahead to the Sweet Sixteen while the first two rounds are still fresh in my mind. Keep in mind, as always, that any opinions given are just my own and don’t necessarily reflect or agree with anything official from Maddux Sports. That being said, the first two rounds could certainly have gone worse for me, so I am feeling good. Here, then, are thoughts on what we have in store on Thursday and Friday:

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1. The single most impressive performance I have seen in the tournament so far – and there have been a lot to chose from – was from Louisville’s Terrence Williams today. The guy plays a bizarre role – a forward who essentially commands play like a point guard. Today he did that to absolute perfection – he had 24 points and 15 rebounds, he dished out four impressive assists, and he had two steals that were like a punch inSiena’s gut. The Saints played a very good game, and they may have been able to pull off the miracle if it weren’t for Williams. Some people might be turned off by the scare that Louisville got today, but I have them picked to win it all, and the game to day only makes me happier that I did so.

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1. Watching Michigan lose today wasn’t much fun. I realize that I am not particularly unbiased in this regard, but I noticed something watching Oklahoma that I have seen in the other couple games I have seen them play – the refs give Blake Griffin a lot of leeway. Michigan got called for a lot of things today that Griffin in particular and Oklahoma and general didn’t. The foul calls were very unbalanced today, and when I looked back at Oklahoma’s stats that’s not uncommon. I’m not saying that that is why Michigan lost – the long scoring droughts didn’t help – but it sure makes it easier to win when you are getting the calls. Reputation and name has more impact in college basketball than it really should.

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Ten things I think about today:

1. Woo-freaking-hoo! It had been 11 years since my beloved Michigan won a game, so I had forgotten how good winning feels. It wasn’t always pretty, and it was too tense at the end, but the important thing is that we ended up with more points than Clemson. Look out Oklahoma, we’re coming for you!

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The tournament is finally just a few hours away – less than 12 as I write this. That means that we are less than 12 hours away from the two best days there are in sports. I can’t wait. As we get ready for the big day(s) here are a few thoughts I have on my mind:

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College basketball is brilliant, and it gets better and better every week as the season progresses. This is shaping up to be a great weekend. Here’s a look at five games I will be paying particular attention to:

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